Wine Scores

Below is a listing of the wine review scores we frequently reference in our notes. While these sources remain an excellent source of information, we always recommend that you trust your own palate. Scores in these publications often represent the personal taste of an individual critic, which may not always coincide with your own. We have a huge team of excellent wine professionals that can match wines you've had in the past with new arrivals that meet your flavor profile.

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Staff Favorites -
Chiara Shannon

Chiara moved north from her hometown of La Canada Flintridge in the foothills of Los Angeles to attend college at UC Berkeley. Not knowing what to do with her Bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish literature, Chiara pursued several careers, from education to marketing to fashion, before she realized her destiny lay in the wine business. She started out as a marketing assistant at Schramsberg Vineyards. After a year in wine country, she relocated to Los Angeles to try out the retail side of wine at a specialized wine shop near her family’s home, Mission Wines. Working under the tutelage of a seasoned veteran sommelier-turned-retailer, Chiara was inducted into the world of fine wine. She has since returned to the Bay Area joined the team at K&L, received her WSET Advanced certification, now manages the K&L Personal Sommelier Service. In her free time, Chiara is passionate about dance and travel, loves her husband and their life of food, wine, and music in San Francisco, practices yoga and reads in her leisure time, and is eternally grateful to her friends and family.

Reviews

The latest release of this spectacular rum is the best yet. It still has all the power and complexity that characterizes Rhum Agricole (a rum tradition and style distinctive of the French West Indies) but in the latest release they've used a special vacuum still (the kind used in Sake production) and the results are astounding. This rum initially impressed me with its polish, vibrancy, and smooth mouthfeel, but now with amplified aromatics and layers of flavor on the palate it is not only one very distinctive rum, but mouth-wateringly delicious too. Lychee nut and rich tropical fruits leap out in the nose, with subtle hints of cane grass and flowering herbs. The palate fans out like a peacock's tail, intense yet never overwhelming as it winds down towards a smooth, glassy finish. The superiority of Batiste's sustainable grown, hand-cut, organic cane and natural processing methods is evident in the fine quality of this Agricole. Sip neat, on the rocks, or in a classic Ti’ Punch: 2 oz. Rhum Agricole, squeeze of half a lime, cane syrup to taste, 1-2 ice cubes (optional).Combine and serve in an old-fashioned glass or tumbler garnished with a lime twist.

Comprising mostly Sangiacomo Amaral Ranch Vineyard fruit, the 2012 Pinot shows off the excellent quality of the vintage in its bright fruit character and supple texture. All native yeast fermentation followed by aging for seven months in 30% new French oak ensures richness, body, and length on the palate.

This ia a lovely example of aged Rioja from a good vintage that is drinking absolutely perfectly right now. It shows excellent integration and a range of complexity that you rarely encounter in the under $20 category. Mixed berries mingle with earth spice and notes of vanilla and savory herbs. Framed by fine tannins and supported by balanced acidity, this really over-delivers in elegance for the price.

Lovely stuff! A brand new offering from Cocchi, this is a fresher, lighter in body, and a fruitier version of their Vermouth de Torino with subtle aromatic suggestions of Chinato. Red and blackberries, earth flowers, and woodsy, spiced herbs meld for a similarly fruity yet sweetly bitter style of Vermouth. Serve on the rocks (with or without soda) with a lemon or lime twist or top with Champagne for a sparkling aperitif. Not to heavy, not too sweet, there is a lot of potential for creative cocktail-making here...from martinis to Sangria! Served chilled after dinner, this would also make a delicious pairing with a strong spicy blue cheese (like cabrales, gorgonzola, or roquefort) accompanied by a side of spiced chutney, candied citrus peel, or quince paste.

This is wild and crazy Gin, for folks who like intensity, bold herbal flavors, and a lot of local Bay Area flare in their Gin. Macerated with native pine and herbs from Mt Tam, among many other botanicals, this smells and tastes like a Christmas trees, cut with fresh sage and ground peppercorn. For Negronis.

A very dry, aromatic Gin, this is all Juniper and lemony citrus, with pretty floral, cedar, and ginger root accents. Light and ethereal, just gorgeous stuff! Takes the Gin & Tonic to a whole new level.

Even better out of magnum! Less oxygen in contact with the wine in bottle makes for a Champagne with increased intensity and a magnified expression, not to mention longer life! If you love the 750 ml version then you will be floored by how incredible this shows out of the larger format. Its distinctive fruit and brioche aromas and flavors take on added dimension, and everything about the wine - mouthfeel, palate impression, finish - is more expansive and lingering. If you plan to be sharing Champagne with more than three people, a magnum like this is the way to go.

Made from half estate and half purchased fruit, all 1er and Grand Cru sources, Louis Roederer's Brut Premiere is a sophisticated, elegant Champagne that has minerality, flavor, acidity, and length of the sort you might expect to find in a bottle from one of our small grower-producer DIs as opposed to a "big" house. This can be attributed to the fact that even at this entry level, the wine originates as a vineyard or fruit selection, not a tank selection like other large production houses. This is a superb Champagne and great value. Whether you are a Champagne novice or connoisseur, shopping for a gift or a bottle to open and enjoy yourself, don't overlook this because you recognize the label - this seriously good Champagne is sure to impress.

A lovely Pomerol from the 1999 vintage, showing classic Merlot plum and red berries in the nose against a backdrop of chocolate, wet earth, and sweet tobacco. Medium-bodied and graceful, with a soft ripe fruit on the midpalate, fine tannins, and a smooth finish. This is open enough to enjoy tonight with a steak or roast chicken, but has the structure and balance to age further.

Can't afford Opus One? Well, you're in luck (while supplies last). This is a classic California Meritage from pedigreed vineyards with a decade of bottle age that is at a perfect stage in its evolution to be enjoyed tonight. It offers a complex bouquet of textbook Rutherford earthy red and black fruits with accents of mint and cedar, with secondary notes of leather and caramelized fruit and dusty minerals. Beautifully balanced, with nicely integrating tannins, breadth on the palate, and an elegant mouthfeel and finish. This is a fine wine, available at a fraction of the price of what folks might peg it to be in a blind tasting if it were put up against cult Napa wines from similar origins and the same vintage. Whether you are a fan of Cab blends with bottle age, are a savvy shopper looking for a unique yet approachable offering for a special occasion but must stick to a budget, or a California wine lover nostalgic for the way Napa wines used to be made (and priced), you will find much to love in this. We bought all that is left, so stock up. When it's gone it's gone...

From Peru’s Ica Valley, this truly is one of the best Piscos on the market today. It is an elegant, creamy and textured ‘Acholado’ style, made from sustainably grown traditional Pisco grape varietals and distilled only once, with absolutely nothing added. Bottled at proof, this Pisco is good enough to enjoy on its own, but its intent is for use in cocktails like the legendary Pisco Sour. My husband and I love this delicious Peruvian cocktail so much, it was the signature drink served at our wedding! Pisco Sour : 2 oz. Pisco, 1 oz. fresh lime juice, .75 oz. simple syrup, 1 egg white. Shake with very little ice or blend. Top with cinnamon or bitters as preferred.

The Cocchi Americano has been produced according to an all-natural recipe in the Piedmontese town of Asti since 1891. It is a lightly fortified, orange and herb-flavored bitter infusion that not only works wonders in reviving appetite, but will protect against malaria, too. A blend of Moscato d'Asti wine, cinchona bark (which contains the anti-malarial quinine), the roots of gentian flowers and a secret combination of other botanicals, this is a must for anyone interested in a real deal aperitivo. It is considered to be the Italian version of Kina Lillet, the key ingredient in the "Vesper" cocktail James Bond orders in the novel 'Casino Royale'.

I was reminded at today's Champagne staff tasting of what a fabulous bottle of bubbles this is for the money. Based mostly on the 2007 vintage, with the rest older reserve wines, this Champagne offers an expressive nose of golden apple, creamy lees, chalky minerals, and the subtlest of baking spices. It is full on the palate, with a creamy mousse lended structure and power by vibrant acidity. The chalky mineral component adds edge and focus to the long finish. Its richness and fruit offers broad appeal, but its complexity and depth promise to intrigue even the most discerning of palates. This is a superb Champagne to enjoy now and over the course of the next five years, for any occasion!

A K&L direct-import, Blason's Isonzo Bianco (3L Bag-in-aBox!) maintains a permanent residency in my fridge whenever it is available, and has done since it first hit our shelves in 2008. Crisp, fruity, and refreshing, the latest release is great. It's the perfect quaffer to enjoy while cooking, as an aperitif, and it's vacuum-sealed packaging makes it great for all kinds of outdoor activities, from camping to picnics to boating. Cheers!

Arguably one of the highest expressions of Cabernet Franc in the world, the Couly Dutheil’s “Clos de l’Echo” Chinon is produced from a walled vineyard on mineral-rich, calcareous, clay soils. The 2002 has almost a decade of bottle age and is still so young and tight at this stage...it suggests a rosebud clenched inside an iron fist that is only just beginning to loosen its grip. With air, red fruits come forward along with tantalizing scents of anise and warm earth, though the tannins remain firm and minerality taut. This could easily be left alone for another ten years, but nevertheless it is a captivating wine that has the potential to turn everything you think you know about Cabernet Franc on its head. On the third day being open it started to really sing, but by then there wasn't much left to enjoy! Available in magnum too, but be prepared to wait another twenty years at least for that...